The reification of body image leads to unarticulated ideological and conceptual assumptions that obscure the most dynamic and productive features of the construct. These assumptions are that body image: (1) ‘exists’; (2) is a socially mediated product of perception; (3) is ‘internal’ and ‘of the individual’; (4) can be treated and measured as if real; and (5) individuals’ respond to body image measures as if neutrally providing information about pre-existing images held in their heads. We argue that it is more useful to consider body imaging as a process, an activity rather than a product.
Altabe, M. , & Thompson, J. K. (1993). Body image changes during early adulthood . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 13, 323-328 .
2.
Bergsma, L. J. (2004). Empowerment education: The link between media literacy and health promotion . American Behavioral Scientist, 48(2), 152-164 .
3.
Blouin, A. G. , & Goldfield, G. S. (1995). Body image and steroid use in male body builders . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 159-165 .
4.
Brown, T. A. , Cash, T. F. , & Mikulka, P. J. (1990). Attitudinal body image assessment: Factor analysis of the Body-Self Relations Questionnaire . Journal of Personality Assessment, 55, 135-144 .
5.
Bruch, H. (1962). Perceptual and conceptual disturbances . Psychological Medicine, 24, 187-194 .
6.
Cash, T. F. (2002). Cognitive-behavioral perspectives on body image. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research and clinical practice (pp. 38-46). London: The Guildford Press .
7.
Cash, T. F. , & Pruzinsky, T. (2002). Body image: A handbook of theory, research and clinical practice. London: The Guildford Press .
8.
Cash, T. F. , & Szymanski, M. L. (1995). The development and validation of the Body-image Ideals Questionnaire . Journal of Personality Assessment, 64, 466-477 .
9.
Choi, P. Y. L. (2000). Femininity and the physically active woman. London: Routledge .
10.
Connor, M. , Johnson, C. , & Grogan, S. (2002). Gender, sexuality, body image and eating behaviours . Journal of Health Psychology, 9(4), 905-915 .
11.
Crossley, M. L. (2003). ‘Would you consider yourself a healthy person?’: Using focus groups to explore health as a moral phenomenon . Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 501-514 .
12.
Currie, D. H. (1997). Decoding femininity: Advertisements and their teenage readers . Gender and Society, 11, 453-477 .
13.
Currie, D. H. (1999). Girl talk: Adolescent magazines and their readers. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press .
14.
Duke, L. (2002). Get real! Cultural relevance and resistance to the mediated feminine ideal . Psychology and Marketing, 19, 211-233 .
15.
Fallon, A. E. , & Rozin, P. (1985). Sex differences in perception of desirable body shape . Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94, 102-105 .
16.
Frith, H. , & Gleeson, K. (2004). Clothing and embodiment: Men managing body image and appearance . Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 5(1), 40-48 .
17.
Furnham, A. , & Greaves, N. (1994). Gender and locus of control correlates of body image dissatisfaction . European Journal of Personality, 8, 183-200 .
18.
Groesz, L. M. , Levine, M. P. , & Murnen, S. K. (2002). The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: A meta-analytic review . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 1-16 .
19.
Grogan, S. (1999). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women and children. London: Routledge .
20.
Grogan, S. , Evans, R. , Wright, S. , & Hunter, G. (2004). Femininity and muscularity: Accounts of seven women body builders . Journal of Gender Studies, 13(1), 49-61 .
21.
Guttman, N. , & Ressler, W. H. (2001). On being responsible: Ethical issues in appeals to personal responsibility in health campaigns . Journal of Health Communication, 6, 117-136 .
22.
Hargreaves, D. , & Tiggemann, M. (2002). The effect of television commercials on mood and body dissatisfaction: The role of appearance-schema activation . Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 21, 287-308 .
23.
Hollows, J. (2000). Feminism, femininity and popular culture. Manchester: University of Manchester Press .
24.
Holson, I. , Kraft, P. , & Roysamb, E. (2001). The relationship between body image and depressed mood in adolescence: A five-year longitudinal panel study . Journal of Health Psychology, 6(6), 613-627 .
25.
Jeffrey, R. W. , Hennrikus, D. J. , Lando, H. A. , Murray, D. M. , & Lui, J. W. (2000). Reconciling conflicting findings regarding postcessation weight concerns and success in smoking cessation . Health Psychology, 19, 242-246 .
26.
Johnson, S. , Burrows, A. , & Williamson, I. (2004). ‘Does my bump look big in this?’: The meaning of bodily changes for first-time mothers-to-be . Journal of Health Psychology, 9(3), 361-374 .
27.
Johnston, O. , Reilly, J. , & Kremer, J. (2004). Women’s experiences of appearance concern and body control across the lifespan: Challenging the accepted wisdom . Journal of Health Psychology, 9(3), 397-410 .
28.
Lamb, C. S. , Jackson, L. A. , Cassidy, P. B. , & Priest, D. J. (1993). Body figure preferences of men and women: A comparison of two generations . Sex Roles, 28, 345-356 .
29.
Leit, R. A. , Pope, H. G. , & Grey, J. J. (2001). Cultural expectations of muscularity in men: The evolution of Playgirl centrefolds . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 22, 90-93 .
30.
Martin, M. W. (2001). Responsibility for health and blaming victims . Journal of Medical Humanities, 22, 95-114 .
31.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of perception. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul .
32.
Myers, P. N. , & Biocca, F. A. (1992). The elastic body image: The effect of television advertising and programming on body image distortions in young women . Journal of Commnication, 42, 108-133 .
33.
Neumark-Sztainer, D. , Wall, M. M. , Story, M. , & Perry, C. L. (2003). Correlates of unhealthy weight-control behaviours among adolescents: Implications for prevention programs . Health Psychology, 22(1), 88-98 .
34.
Pope, H. G. , Gruber, A. J. , Mangweth, B. , Bureau, B. , deCol, C. , Jouvent, R. , & Hudson, J. I. (2000). Body image perception among men in three countries . American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1297-1301 .
35.
Potter, J. , & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology. London: Sage Publications .
36.
Rudd, N. A. , & Lennon, S. J. (2000). Body image and appearance-management behaviours in college women . Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 18, 152-162 .
37.
Rumsey, N. , & Harcourt, D. (2005). The psychology of appearance and disfigurement. Buckingham: Open University Press .
38.
Schilder, P. (1950). The image and appearance of the human body. New York: International Universities Press .
39.
Silverstein, B. , Perdue, L. , Peterson, B. , & Kelly, E. (1986). The role of the mass media in promoting a thin standard of bodily attractiveness for women . Sex Roles, 14, 519-532 .
40.
Skeggs, B. (2001). The toilet paper: Femininity, class and mis-recognition . Women’s Studies International Forum, 24, 295-307 .
41.
Slade, P. D. , & Russell, G. F. M. (1973). Awareness of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies . Psychological Medicine, 3, 188-199 .
42.
Stanford, J. N. , & McCabe, M. P. (2002). Body image ideals among males and females: Sociocultural influences and focus on different body parts . Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 675-684 .
43.
Story, M. , French, S. A. , Resnick, M. D. , & Blum, R. W. (1995). Ethnic/racial and socioeconomic differences in dieting behaviours and body image perceptions in adolescents . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 173-179 .
44.
Stunkard, A. J. , Sorenson, T. I. , & Schulsinger, F. (1983). Use of the Danish Adoption Register for the study of obesity and thinness. In S. Kety , L. P. Rowland , R. L. Sidman , & S. W. Matthysse (Eds.), The genetics of neurological and psychiatric disorders (pp. 115-120). New York: Raven Press .
45.
Taleporas, G. , & McCabe, M. P. (2002). Body image and physical disability: Personal perspectives . Social Science & Medicine, 54, 971-980 .
46.
Thompson, J. K. , & Altabe, M. N. (1991). Psychometric qualities of the Figure Rating Scale . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10, 615-619 .
47.
Thompson, J. K. , & Gardner, R. M. (2002). Measuring perceptual body image among adolescents and adults. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research and clinical practice (pp. 135-141). London: The Guildford Press .
48.
Thompson, J. K. , Heinberg, L. J. , Altabe, M. , & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. Washington: American Psychological Association .
49.
Tiggemann, M. , Gardiner, M. , & Slater, A. (2000). ‘I would rather be size 10 than have straight A’s’: A focus group study of adolescent girls’ wish to be thinner . Journal of Adolescence, 23, 645-659 .
50.
Tiggemann, M. , & Wilson-Barrett, E. (1998). Children’s figure drawings: Relationship to self-esteem and negative stereotyping . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 83-88 .
51.
Wade, T. D. , Davidson, S. , & O’Dea, J. A. (2003). A preliminary controlled evaluation of a school-based media literacy program and self-esteem program for reducing eating disorder risk factors . International Journal of Eating Disorders, 33(4), 371-383 .
52.
Weiss, G. (1999). Body images: Embodiment as inter-corporeality. New York: Routledge .
53.
Wright, S. , Grogan, S. , & Hunter, G. (2000). Motivations for anabolic steroid use among bodybuilders . Journal of Health Psychology, 5(4), 566-571 .
